SKINNY: Canisius is a five-point favorite Thursday. ... Canisius defeated Fairfield 67-55 at the Webster Bank Arena on Dec. 7. The Stags have won five straight since then. ... This is the first of three straight road MAAC games for the Stags. ... Fairfield's Marcus Gilbert, who was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week, had eight points and 10 rebounds in a 55-54 win over ODU on Saturday. ... Derek Needham leads Fairfield in scoring (14.6 ppg). After Needham, the Stags have six players averaging from 6.2 to 7.6 points. ... The Golden Griffs lost to Detroit 83-78 in their last game but had the most wins prior to January in school history. ... Billy Baron leads the Griffs in scoring (17.8 ppg) and assists (5.4 pg). Other threats have been Harold Washington (14.2 ppg), Isaac Sosa (11.7 ppg), and Jordan Heath (10.4 ppg).

SKINNY: This is the Northeast Conference opener for both teams. ... Long Island Brooklyn is the two-time defending league champion. They were picked to win the league title again in the preseason coaches' poll. ... The Pioneers have lost seven straight and are coming off a 77-38 loss at George Washington. This is their longest losing streak since the 2004-05 season. ... SHU's Shane Gibson is sixth in the NEC in scoring (16.3 ppg). ... Jamal Olasewere (18.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and Julian Boyd (18.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg) lead the Blackbirds.